Post on 13-Oct-2020
EMPOWERING GIRLS AND YOUNG WOMEN THROUGH STEAM
OVERVIEW
IREX empowers girls and young women – in and out of school, and particularly those without
access to high quality STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and math) education -
to pursue the jobs of today and tomorrow. While an estimated 85 %-90 % of jobs in 2020 will
require digital skills, 23 % fewer women than men in the developing world are online. In the
U.S. alone, STEM jobs will grow to more than 9 million by 2022, but women hold less than 25 %
of today’s STEM jobs. IREX programs identify underserved girls and young women who are in or
out of school, provide skills building opportunities, access to female mentors, and opportunities
to create real-world solutions. IREX engages educational institutions, community and youth
resource centers, government, the private sector, and other local partners in its efforts to build
the pipeline of women and girls in STEAM fields.
IREX PROGRAMS
SHE’s GREAT (Supporting Her
Empowerment – Girl’s Resilience,
Enterprise, and Technology):
IREX will address gender inequality and harmful
cultural practices by building economic, technology,
and leadership, skills for girls in and out of school.
Connected to mentors and supported through
community advocacy, secondary school girls will
lead STEAM clubs; out of school girls will receive
training linked to employment and entrepreneurship.
Funded by the US Department of State
World Smarts: IREX off ers a 10-week, problem-
based STEM challenge curriculum in which youth
collaborate virtually with peers across the globe
to create real world solutions to local problems.
Funded by the Carnegie Corporation of New York
Tech Age Girls: IREX provides digital skills and
professional skills, empowerment and leadership
training to girls without access to technology
training, and off ers mentoring, access to women
tech leaders, and advanced skill building.
Funders include USAID and the Department of State
Youth and Community Resource Centers: IREX
supports and builds institutional capacity for
youth and community resource centers that in
turn provide youth with learning opportunities
all along the STEAM spectrum, from basic digital
skills to advanced coding training, robotics
competitions, and arts for community change.
Funders include the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and USAID
Off ering secondary and post-
secondary teachers a problem-
based STEAM challenge
IREX provides curricula, teacher training, and
technical support for teachers and faculty to
off er problem-based STEAM learning. Through
World Smarts, IREX has trained 30 teachers
and empowered over 125 female students in
the U.S. and Ghana to build their STEM skills
and confidence. In Iraq, IREX coaches over 20
universities in off ering Design Days, long-term
student-led innovation projects that culminate
in one-day events with potential employers
engaging approximately 100 female students.
Engaging young girls and women
in non-formal STEAM education
and training
Through its extracurricular programming and
via youth and community resource centers,
IREX off ers girls and young women empowering
skill-building programs in settings. Through our
Tech Age Girls programs in 8 countries, IREX
has provided over 1300 young women with IT
training, mentors, and hands-on opportunities
to exercise their skills as community change
agents. 80 % reported that tech skills made them
more competitive in the job market and nearly
60 % pursued additional career related training.
Providing intensive learning
experiences through camps
In sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia,
IREX designs STEAM camps for girls. SHE’s GREAT
camps will increase girls’ retention and increase
in interest in STEAM in school. A problem-based
learning approach will be used to raise awareness
and lead communities to implement local solutions.
In Moldova, IREX partnered with UN Women and the
Moldovan Association of IT Companies to off er Girls
GoIT Summer Camps. Girls developed programming
and coding skills and created projects, such as a web
platform promoting eco-lifestyles and recycling.
Increasing youth orientation –
particularly female youth - for
STEM subjects
With over 50 % female participation and nearly
95 % not having participated in science fairs or
clubs before the program, 91 % of World Smarts
girls and boys reported being enthusiastic about
science, 89 % about technology, and 87 % about
engineering aft er their participation. In Moldova,
female participants in Roboclubs (Robotics
Clubs) shower a greater orientation towards
robotics and artificial intelligence than male
participants, despite lower levels of interest prior
to the program.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS & RESULTS
IREX DEVELOPED TOOLS & SERVICES
CONTACT US
Tech Age Girls Curriculum
Addressing the significant gap in digital skills
between men and women, this curriculum
provides basic and advanced digital and
leadership skills and gives guidance on
accessing women tech leaders and arranging
mentorships.
Design Day Toolkit
A roadmap for post-secondary institutions to
host design day events (long-term projects
to foster student innovation culminating
in events with employers). Designed for
engineering in line with ABET (Accreditation
Board for Engineering and Technology)
standards but adaptable to other subjects.
Students, faculty, and private sector partners
develop a practical solution to an industry-
posted problem.
1. European Centre for the Development of Vocational
Training, 2012 as cited in Education and Skills 2.0:
New Targets and Innovative Approaches, World
Economic Forum, January 2014 http://www3.weforum.
org/docs/GAC/2014/WEF_GAC_EducationSkills_
TargetsInnovativeApproaches_Book_2014.pdf
Gender Equality and Social
Inclusion Resources
Resources provide a blueprint for consistently
and effectively advance gender equality and
meaningful inclusion of disadvantaged and
marginalized identity groups. IREX training
expertise helps staff and partners ensure
attention to power differences and access
across different identify groups and design
and implement inclusive programs.
Creating Supportive Learning
Environments for Girls and
Boys: A Guide for Educators
Supports teachers and administrators to
be more gender-inclusive by preparing
them to evaluate, design, and use gender-
inclusive practices in instructional materials,
classrooms, schools, and communities.
World Smarts Curriculum
A 10-week, gender-sensitive, standards-
aligned curriculum, including educator
training materials, providing step-by-step
guidance for educators to take youth
through a problem-based STEM challenge in
collaboration with virtual team members from
another country.
2. Women and the Web: Bridging the Internet Gap and
Creating New Global Opportunities in Low and Middle
Income Countries, Intel, 2013 http://www.intel.com/
content/dam/www/public/us/en/documents/pdf/
women-and-the-web.pdf
3. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/marcy-klevorn/steam-
education-inclusivity_b_11307570.html, Retrieved
2/5/2018
IREX is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to building a more just, prosperous, and inclusive world by empowering youth, cultivating leaders, strengthening institutions, and extending access to quality education and information. With an annual portfolio of $ 80 million and 400 professional staff worldwide, IREX employs field-tested methods and innovative technologies to develop locally driven solutions in more than 100 countries.
ABOUT IREX